


Survivor's Guilt

by sundaze



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Death, M/M, Violence, Zombie Apocalypse, but really he's just very guarded, tyler is kinda an asshole
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-08-25 09:52:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16658945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sundaze/pseuds/sundaze
Summary: Since the beginning of the apocalypse, Tyler has been through a lot and he believes that he truly is better off alone in a world so volatile and impermanent.





	1. Runner 0

**Author's Note:**

> I started a fic similar to this one about a year or so ago but I abandoned it. I really liked the plot, so I revised the original and got this. I am going to try to finish this one. I promise.

It’s been three years since the patient 0 was diagnosed with a disease doctors from all over the country couldn’t identify. When patient 0 began eating the flesh of the doctors trying to prevent that very thing, everyone knew that this was the beginning of the zombie apocalypse. Quickly, cities were burned down and the government crumbled beneath it’s already deteriorating foundations. Once civilization before the outbreak was dismantled, people knew that there had be a system of communicating and governing the people who had survived the apocalypse thus far. 

Townships began being established in place of cities and towns. Townships were created out of the ruins of the least burned to the ground towns within the state. The townships acted as home bases for people to sleep, get food, get medical attention when needed; essentially, it is a place for survivors to continue surviving. Chain link fences were built fifteen feet up around the perimeter of these townships to keep out the hoards of zombies. 

Townships are kept running by a couple doctors. However, townships depend more on the people willing to go out into the desolate areas of the world in order to get more food, medical supplies, or to deliver messages to other townships miles and miles away. These runners as they’re called have to be fast enough to evade chasing zombies, and smart enough to effectively kill anything that’s in pursuit of them. Every township has runners, but not every township has runners like Tyler Joseph, runner number 3 for Kent township in Ohio. 

*

Tyler walked up to Kent township’s main hospital doors. Once inside, Tyler roamed the hallways in search of Mark so he can get the envelope he has been assigned to deliver to Portage Lakes township. The dim lit and peeling paint on the walls in the hallways of Kent Hospital would likely freak out Tyler out if this was before the apocalypse, but since the outbreak, nothing seems to scare Tyler easily. He, along with most of the other survivors, have seen enough to know that walls that need to be repainted and burnt out bulbs aren’t what needs to be feared. 

Tyler finds Mark leaning about the counter where family members and friends once talked to nurses about their relatives that were in the ICU. Mark is one of the dispatchers for the runners. He sits in a room and watches the runners on their missions to other townships through cameras that have been placed in trees and remaining light and telephone poles from life before zombies. He also tells runners when zombies are nearby and different routes the runners could take to lose the zombies.

Mark turns to meet Tyler’s gaze and smiles at him. Tyler notices the large yellow envelope in Mark’s hand. Once he’s within reach, Tyler holds his hand out to receive the package so he can get on his. Mark smirks and pulls his hand back, holding the envelope by the side of his head near his ear. 

“Not so fast, 3.” Mark straightens his stance and brings the envelope down so both of his hands are grasping it. “We need to talk about something before you go.”

“What do we have to talk about?” Tyler growls, annoyed that he can’t just take the envelope and get on his way. “The only thing I am interested in talking about is my next assignment after I get back from Portage Lakes.” 

“I guess that you could say it’s about that.” Mark smirks and turns towards the counter he once leaned upon. He reaches over the counter and grabs a beige folder that laid on a desk. “You’re getting a partner on your next run. And maybe on all missions after that.” 

“What!?” Tyler exclaims, taking a few steps back from Mark. Tyler begins to shake his head from side to side quickly. “No, no way. That’s not happening.”

Mark’s smile fades a little bit as he watches Tyler slip into a fit of not getting his way. “Listen, after your last run when we almost lost you to a hoard, we can’t take any risks. You’re our best runner and we cannot afford to lose you.” 

“Exactly, I’m the best runner. So you should know that that was a freak incident and won’t ever happen again.”

“We can’t take risks. Doctor’s orders.” Mark smiled at Tyler again and held out the envelope for Tyler to grab. Tyler was more focused on the news of getting a partner. 

“I’ve told you and all the doctors that I do not need a partner.” Tyler hisses, folding his arms across his chest. “I work better alone. I don’t need anyone holding me back.” 

“Listen, 3. You were surrounded by seven zombs without any bullets. If you hadn’t tripped over that stick that you used to bash their heads in with, you might not be here.” 

Tyler rolls his eyes and rips the envelope out of Mark’s hands. “Really, I don’t need help. The only thing a partner will do is slow me down.”

“No, they will help you when you get into a situation like that again.” Mark retorted. 

“Well, it won’t happen again because it was a one time thing.” SIlence hung in the air between Mark and Tyler as Tyler studied the outside of the envelope. “I don’t want to get close again.” Tyler mumbles after a minute in the silence. 

“Then don’t.” Mark states simply. “Keep your relationship strictly as partners on missions. There is no rule saying that you and your partner have to be friends or anything like that. You just need to be able to trust one another while you’re on runs together.” 

Tyler gives Mark the side eye, hoping that he understands how uncomfortable and against the idea of having a partner again is to him. But the look goes unnoticed, or at least unmentioned, as Mark smiles at Tyler and claps him on the back. “Good luck out there.” 

*

Tyler waits by the gate the following afternoon for Mark to arrive with Tyler’s new partner. Flipping through the pages of the small, tattered notebook he keeps in his messenger bag, Tyler’s mind begins drifting back to the memories that are sloppily scrawled across the white pages. Memories of happier times in a period where happiness is a fleeting commodity flood Tyler’s mind as he reads excerpts of journal entries and notes that were written for Tyler to read later on. Who knew that these notes would only make Tyler feel worse now?

As he is flicks through the pages, a photograph slips out between the pages and lands in Tyler’s lap. Tyler gently picks up the photo and instantly wishes that it had stayed hidden in the notebook. A black and white inked copy of Jenna, runner 9, stares up at Tyler from the photograph. Even through the black and white filter in the photo, Tyler can feel the piercing blue of her eyes. In the photo, some of her long blonde hair is draped over Tyler’s face so only one of his eyes is visible. 

Tyler remembers this moment vividly. He remembers groaning when Jenna pulled out the camera from underneath her pillow while they laid on her mattress in the room she shared with three other runners from Kent township. 

_ “Please, no pictures. I look like I just ran a marathon.” Tyler whined as he tried, but unsuccessfully rolled away from Jenna. _

_ Jenna giggles and pulls Tyler closer to her. “You kind of did just run a marathon.” She wraps her arm around Tyler’s neck and covers most of Tyler’s face with her hair. “Better?” She asks.  _

_ “Much.” Tyler joked as Jenna held the camera up above their heads and clicked the button. The flash went off and the picture began to develop in the camera. Shortly, the photo began printing out of the small slit. Jenna untangled herself from Tyler and quickly sat up, removing the photo from the camera. Following close behind, Tyler sat up on the mattress and looked over her shoulder at the photograph. To his surprise, it was actually a great photo. Mainly because only Jenna was visible, but he didn’t look bad with her hair strewn across his face.  _

_ Jenna twisted herself to face Tyler and held the photo out to him. “You keep it,” She insisted, pushing the small picture into his hands and closing his fingers around it.. “To remember this moment.”  _

Tyler was pulled from his thoughts when he felt the photograph pulled out of his grip. “Hey!” He shouted, standing up to his feet and stealing the photo back from Mark’s hands. Mark threw his hands up defensively. 

“Sorry, man. I tried calling for you like ten times and you didn’t answer.” Mark argued, watching as Tyler struggled to put the photo back into the notebook. 

“Yeah, well, sorry.” Tyler runs a hand through his hair and tries to repress the memory he was just revisiting. Tyler shifts his gaze over to the man standing a couple steps behind Mark. Tyler wasn’t too sure what he was expecting, but it wasn’t him. The man was about his height, but a bigger build than Tyler. One arm is covered in an earth toned tattoo that wraps around his whole bicep and forearm. Tyler’s eyes drift up to where red hair probably once was, but now only faded pink tips with dark brown roots sit atop this man’s head. Tyler then noticed the man staring him down back, so Tyler looked back over to Mark. “Care to introduce us?’ Tyler quips. 

“This is your new partner,” Mark extends an arm towards the man behind him. “Runner 0.”

Runner 0’s lips turn upward into a smile and he then also extends a hand out towards Tyler. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Jo-”

Tyler holds a hand up before Runner 0 can even finish his sentence. “I’m not here to be your friend. We’re here to do jobs for the township. No first names. We’ll just call each other by our runner numbers, yeah?’

Runner 0’s lips fall a bit and he drops his arm down by his side. “If that’s what will help you best preform.” 

Tyler nods and extends his hand towards Runner 0. “Runner 3.” Runner 0 takes Tyler’s hand in his and they shake. “Did Mark tell you what happened to the previous Runner 0?” Tyler asks as he pulls back from Runner 0’s grasp. 

“No he didn’t,” Runner 0 states a bit muddled. 

“3,” Mark warns like he is Tyler’s father. Tyler ignores the warning. 

“He was on a mission out in the woods near Lewisville when he he got bit. After that, he was mauled by a bear. He was already dead before we were even able to pinpoint his location.” Tyler states, his eyes darting over to Mark, whose face is turned into a disapproving frown. Looking back over at Runner 0, Tyler smiles to see the horror on his face.

“Well,” mark quickly chirps, his frown turning into a forced smile. “That won’t happen to you, new Runner 0, because you will be sticking with Runner 3. He’s the best runner in the township. But he can sometimes get a bit overwhelmed when dealing with a swarm-”

“That was a one time thing,” Tyler interjects, glaring at Mark. “You’re safe with me, 0.”

“Good, that’s all that matters then.” Runner 0 smiles. 

Tyler smirks and steps closer to Runner 0 so they’re chest to chest. Tyler can feel his breath on his face as he stares Runner 0 right in the eyes. “But don’t start thinking that I  _ need _ you,” Tyler grumbles. “Because I don’t. I don’t need you slowing me down, I don’t need Mark assigning me new partners every couple months, and I especially don’t need you causing me problems during missions. Is that clear?”

Runner 0 nods slowly, and takes a step away from Tyler before exhaling sharply. Tyler smiles and turns towards Mark and holds his hands out for the package of meds that are to be delivered to Akron. “We should get going. Medicine won’t deliver itself.” Tyler states, turning his head to look at Runner 0. “That’s what they have us for.”

 


	2. Trees

“How are we looking, Mark?” Tyler speaks into the microphone piece connected to his headset, breaking the long holding silence between himself and Runner 0. “Will we be back before sunset? I don’t feel like getting stuck out here in the boonies of Ohio in the middle of the night.” 

“You’re looking alright.” Mark replies. Tyler can hear some keyboard tapping and mouse clicking on the other end. “You might want to pick up the pace. You have about an hour left until you’re back home but only 45 minutes of sunlight.”

Tyler sighs and looks over at Runner 0, who hasn’t been the total thorn in his side he thought he would be. He’s been quiet and quick when they needed to be, but he’s probably the slowest walker Tyler has ever met. “Can we speed up the walking a little bit?” Tyler insists to Runner 0 over his shoulder. “You haven’t been the worst partner so far, but you’re certainly a slow walker.”

“I’m conserving energy.” Runner 0 explains as he skips a few steps ahead to match Tyler’s stride. “Wouldn’t want to waste the energy I have on power walking to have nothing in me when it’s time to start running.”

Tyler only exhales sharply in response. Even though the mission had gone by quickly and they hadn't run into any problems yet, Tyler is finding it hard to keep his mind from wandering to thoughts about Runner 9. His mind is slipping back in time to when she was around and when they would go on missions together. It didn’t feel like missions to Tyler. It felt like a day trip with his best friend, with the occasional need to shoot a couple zombies. While they were making their way to the destination, they would talk, laugh and reminisce on times before the outbreak. Even though they had only known each other for a couple months, Tyler felt a connection with Jenna he never felt with anyone, even in his life before the end. 

“Who was the worst?” Runner 0 asks, bringing Tyler back to the real world. 

“Who was the worst what?” Tyler echos, speeding up a little bit.

“Who’s the worst partner that you’ve had so far?” Runner 0 explains further, trying desperately to keep in step with Tyler. 

Tyler hesitates before answering the question, trying to phrase his answer without giving too much information that Runner 0 could use against him some day. “Most of them.” 

“But not all?” Runner 0 smirks. “Who’s been the best?”

“You ask a lot of questions.” Tyler pipes. He starts to feel anxiety course through his veins as the conversation of past partners continues on. 

“We need to pass the time. Just answer the question.”

“No thanks,” Tyler says simply. “I told you that I’m not looking to be friends with you.”

Runner 0 sighs, but continues to push Tyler to have a conversation about his past. “I’m not looking to be friends, I’m looking to get to know my new partner a little bit. Maybe we can start with our names?” 

Tyler shakes his head as the open fields the two walked through falls off behind them and they enter a dense forest. “That’s the first step to becoming friends with someone.” 

“Then give me some very vague information about yourself from the past.”

“Seriously,” Tyler snaps, stopping in his tracks and whipping around to face Runner 0, who instinctively jumps back a little bit. “I’m not telling you anything about me or what I’ve done. Nothing. I’m really not interested in getting to know you, and I wish that you would feel the same way about me.” Tyler turns back around and continues following the cleared path through the woods. 

“Alright, Tyler.”

Stopping in his tracks again, Tyler turns to face Runner 0 straight on. Runner 0’s lower lip has been caught between his teeth and he’s hopelessly trying to avoid Tyler’s eyes. “How do you know my name?” Tyler asks, his voice taut as he slowly steps towards Runner 0 who seems he's about to fall in on himself. 

“Mark told me,” Runner 0 coughs out. “I’m sorry. It just slipped out.”

“He wouldn’t do that. He knows I don’t want newcomers knowing what my name is anymore.” Tyler is now chest to chest with Runner 0 again, just like they had been back at Kent township some hours before. “How do you know my name?”

Runner 0 opens and closes his mouth repeatedly as his eyes wander around the forest, like he was looking for an escape the confrontation. His eyes fall onto something off to the side. “Did you hear that?” Runner 0 asks. His eyebrows knit together and he stands up straighter, his eyes locked on something that Tyler doubts is even there. 

“There is nothing there.” Tyler says. “Stop avoiding my question. How do you know-”

“Shh,” Runner 0 hisses, holding up his hand to stop Tyler mid-sentence. “I heard something over there.” Runner 0 extends his arm out to the side, pointing in the direction of some brush far away. Runner 0 backs away from Tyler and steps slowly towards where he claims the sound is coming from. 

“C’mon,” Tyler groans, watching as his partner steps towards the brush. “There’s nothing there. If there was Mark would let us know.”

Runner 0 ignores Tyler's complaints and leans down to pick up a rock. Gently, Runner 0 tosses the rock into the bush. 

For a moment, there’s nothing. 

“See,” Tyler nervously snickers, stepping towards Runner 0 and grasping his forearm. “There’s nothing there. Now, let’s get going. The sun is-”

Before another word can leave Tyler’s mouth, a loud boom rings through the woods. Somehow, Tyler finds himself on the ground of the forest with Runner 0 wrapped in his arms, protecting him from the explosion. After a moment of re-centering himself, Tyler releases Runner 0 and props himself up, looking towards where the explosion went off-only about ten feet away. Although it was only a small explosion, the surrounding shrubs and plants have now caught fire. Tyler curses under his breath and pulls Runner 0 up from the ground and tows him behind as they begins to run away from the flames. 

Once far enough away, Tyler lets go of Runner 0’s arm and faces him. “Are you an idiot?” Tyler yells, his arms flailing out in front of him. “We could have gotten killed! What are you thinking throwing a rock towards a sound you thought you might have heard?” 

“I wanted to scare whatever it was out of there so we could kill it before it became a problem.” Runner 0 defends. 

“Well, now you’ve caused an even bigger problem for us, because now there are probably hoards running in our direction so they can come and feast on our faces!” 

“I didn’t know there was going to be a bomb there!” Runner 0 hollers back, taking steps closer to Tyler. “I know you think you know everything and that you’re the best and that you could push your previous partners around, but I’m not going to let you do that to me. I know I messed up but now we need to figure out a way to get out of it.”

Tyler rolls his eyes and turns from Runner 0, mumbling about how he doesn’t have time to fight with him. “Mark, can you see if there is anything coming towards us?” 

“There are swarms coming towards you from in front and behind you. If you guys stop yelling at each other like a bunch of kids, you might be able to go around them from the sides.” Mark instructs from the other side of the microphone. 

Without even looking to Runner 0 for confirmation of the plan, Tyler takes off to the right, running as fast as he can. He can feel a presence following close behind him, he’s just praying that it is Runner 0 and not a zomb. Everything fades out of perspective as Tyler focuses on running around the hoards and getting out of this alive. Branches and changing autumn leaves blur into splashes of browns and oranges in his peripheral vision while he manages to avoid tripping over anything sticking up out of the ground. Tyler comes to a quick stop when he sees things resembling humans moving towards them between the trees. 

Runner 0 comes crashing into Tyler from behind, obviously not paying attention to what was in front of him. “Jesus!” Tyler calls out, pushing Runner 0 off of him and standing back up. “Look where you’re running!” Tyler scolds. 

“I was looking behind us. There are a couple following us.” Runner 0 replies through pants of breath. 

“He’s right,” Mark interrupts. “There are hoards surrounding you now. There is no way out other than fighting them off.”

Tyler grumbles loudly as he grabs the FNP90 gun that he put in his messenger bag before the mission and starts firing off into the hoard about 30 yards in front of them. Tyler loses himself in firing his weapon that he realizes that Runner 0 hasn’t pulled out a weapon. He’s just stood by Tyler's side, looking around the area, like he thinks there might be a way out. 

“Hey,” Tyler calls to Runner 0, making him look at Tyler. “Maybe instead of helplessly looking for a way out, help me kill some of them.”

“I don’t kill anything.” Runner 0 simply states as he runs towards a tree with a wide trunk close by. “Here, climb up this tree. There are some thick branches we can sit on for a second and come up with a game plan.”

“What do you mean you don’t kill?” Tyler shouts, walking towards Runner 0, his gun still aimed towards the hoards before them. “We don’t have a choice but to kill right now.”

“Just get up in this tree with me and I’ll explain later.” Runner 0 calls from a branch about 20 feet above Tyler’s head. Tyler slightly lowers his gun and looks around. He sees at least two zombies coming at them from every side. He has no choice if his partner isn’t gonna help him shoot. He quickly puts the gun back in his bag and makes his way up to where Runner 0 now sits, looking down on the swarms making their way closer. 

Tyler takes a minute to catch his breath before he decides to question Runner 0. “How do you survive if you don’t kill zombies?”

“I find other ways around situations like this.” He quickly states, looking off into the distance. “Okay, here’s the plan. Don’t make any more noise. Just stay here pressed up against the trunk trying to blend in as much as you can. I am going to go back the way we came and create a distraction.” Runner 0 quickly informs Tyler as he gets to his feet and makes his way back towards the trunk. 

“How the hell are you gonna get by these guys? We’re totally surrounded.” Tyler asks, crawling along the branch behind Runner 0. Before he can answer, Runner 0 is carefully jumping from tree branch to tree branch like a ninja out of a television show Tyler once watched in the direction of where the pair came from. Tyler is mesmerized as he watches Runner 0 fade out of his sight between the branches. 

Despite his better judgement, Tyler looks down to the forest floor and sees there are seven zombies all clawing at the base of the tree trunk where Tyler sits just a couple dozen feet above them. If he were to fall, there’d be no saving himself. So, he keeps his back pressed against the tree and doesn’t look down again. 

It takes several minutes before Tyler remembers that Runner 0 said he was going to create a distraction. What was this distraction exactly? For a brief second, Tyler finds himself hoping that Runner 0 hasn’t met with the same fate the last Runner 0 encountered. Tyler closes his eyes, drowning out the sounds of lifeless moans from below with thoughts of getting back to Kent township, crawling into his lumpy cot and cocooning himself with the scratchy cotton blanket, putting this awful mission behind him just like he has so many nights before. 

A loud explosion from far in the distance behind him rips him from the closest he can get to a happy place. Opening his eyes again, he looks down below and sees that all seven zombies are lurching in the direction of the explosion. Relief washes over him and his shoulders- which at some point had stiffened- relax. 

Only moments later, he sees Runner 0 jump onto a nearby tree branch, his chest rising and quickly falling, a small smile pulls at his lips. “Let’s go. Stay low.” Runner 0 asserts before he’s off jumping from branches once again. Tyler follows quickly behind, the hope of getting back before sunset long forgotten as he watches the sky change from blue and gray to yellow, orange, red and pink through the opening between the treetops.


	3. By Your Side

_ “Jenna, c’mon. Don’t go too far ahead.” Tyler calls after the dainty, yet simultaneously strong blonde, running ahead of him.  _

_ Jenna turns around to face Tyler and flashes her bright smile that causes Tyler to forget what he was even saying. “Don’t worry, Ty,” She yells back as she continues to move in the direction of Kent township.. “I won’t die because I’m not right by your side.” She jokes before turning back around and dashing ahead.  _

_ Even though he knows she will be fine, Tyler can’t help but chase after her, his own smile daring to show. He watches the blonde turn a corner and disappear behind the building. Laughing to himself, Tyler follows Runner 9 around the corner of the building. Suddenly, he finds himself having to hold back tears and swallowing hard to will the bile building in his throat back down into his stomach. His hands begin shaking and he feels his eyes drying from the cold air as he stares at what’s in front of him.   _

_ Jenna: on the ground, curled in a pool of her blood, pouring out from a gash across her stomach.  _

Tyler jolts up from his slumber to find himself still in the room where he feel asleep. His chest is rising and falling as if he had just been running, not like he had just woken up from a nightmare. 

A nightmare. That’s all it was. 

Trying to catch his breath and calm his raising adrenaline, he looks around the disheveled room, reminding himself that he’s alive. Tyler places a cold hand on his chest over where his heart sits in his chest cavity. He feels his heart rapping quickly underneath the layers of skin, flesh and bones. He’s sitting in his cot, he’s breathing, he’s still here. 

But she’s not. 

Tyler flops back onto his cot with an audible  _ oof.  _ He can hear someone calling his name from outside of his bedroom, but he ignores them. He can’t be bothered right now, maybe at all today. After last night’s mission, the doctors had decided to give Tyler’s missions today to another runner so he could recoup. He’s going to take this day off and use it to do nothing but stare at the ceiling while thinking about Jenna and fall in and out of consciousness. 

The only thoughts of Jenna he’s having are from that last day: the shape her collapsed body made on the cracked concrete, the patterns her blood made as it drifted further away from where it was supposed to be, the feeling of watching himself from outside his body while he knelt next to her screaming for someone to help, knowing that no one was around to do anything that would have saved her. Tyler remembers holding her for the last time; running his fingers gently down her soft, tear streaked tear cheeks while she inhaled as much as she could, for the last time. 

That’s when he sees her again. HIs eyes are pulled away from the ceiling to Jenna standing in the corner of the room, just beyond another cot. Relief washes over Tyler as he sees her bright smiling face standing just a couple feet away. He tries to throw the blanket off of him so he can go to her, but he can’t move his arms; he can’t move anything for that matter. A pressure ensues on his chest as he tries to move again. Jenna takes small steps towards where Tyler lays, but she seems to walk right through the cot before her instead of maneuvering around it. The small and bright figure of Jenna’s body is soon swallowed into a shadow, still moving slowly to Tyler’s bedside. 

Tyler, still trying to fight the inability to move, can’t stop staring at the silhouette’s eyes, are where it’s eyes would be. In place of eyes are bright white circles, and Tyler isn’t sure if this is worse or better than having a pair of human eyes staring into him. The figure is now just inches away from Tyler and he’s given up hope of moving. He stares back to the shadowy figure, trying to suppress the feelings of anxiety that are bubbling in his abdomen. He tries to focus on the rate his chest is rising and falling: unhealthily fast. 

Before Tyler can even process what happens next, the figure reaches out with two long extremities and wraps what would be hands around Tyler’s neck. But, the shadow disappears before Tyler even feels a lack of oxygen. Once again able to move, Tyler sits up in his cot and throws his legs over the side.  _ I guess I’m not just going to lay around all day today  _ Tyler thinks to himself. 

Noise comes back into perspective for Tyler when he is startled by a constant pounding on the other side of the door to his room. To get whoever it is to stop, Tyler quickly stands and opens the door to reveal Mark. 

“Oh, shit,” He breathes when he sees a shirtless, barely awake Tyler. “DId I wake you up?” 

Tyler shakes his head, attempting to rub the sleep from his eyes. “No, I just woke up before you got here.”

“I know it’s your day off, but the doctors are looking for you.” Mark states, pointing over his shoulder somewhere behind him. “They wanna talk to you and Runner 0 together.”

“What? Why?” Tyler asks, the sleep suddenly falling away. 

Mark shrugs his shoulders. “Not sure, they didn’t want to tell me. But they wanna see you and 0 at Kent Hospital as soon as possible.” 

“Yeah, let me just change.” Tyler says, slowly starting to shut the door.

“I hope you would.” Mark teases, gesturing to a shirtless and boxer clad Tyler. 

Tyler shuts the door in Mark’s face. 

*

Tyler enters the room where nurses and doctors once took their breaks after long hours of working with patients and their families. Runner 0 following close behind, the two take the only other two open seats beside one another along the long table. Tyler nervously rubs the palms of his hands against his tattered and worn jeans while he looks up the table at the group of three doctors, Dr. Vega, Dr. Moore, and Dr. Ellis. They are the ones who distribute medicine, food, and other supplies to keep people alive. They also communicate with other township about what is needed and what they’re going to be sending out with their runners. They keep the township running smoothly--well as smooth as a system that some still consider to be a work in progress can run. 

Dr. Vega smiles wide at the two boys at the other end of the table. “Good afternoon, boys. I hope you’re both enjoying the day off after yesterday’s…” Dr. Vega looks down at the sheets of paper in front of him and lets out a sharp sigh before looking back up. “Trial mission as you as partners.”

Neither of the runners verbally answer. They both bob their heads up and down. Tyler silently hopes that this meeting is about how awfully the mission went last night and that they agree: Tyler is better off running alone. 

“Well, we’re all glad that you were able to make it out of that situation and back to Kent in one piece.” Dr Vega continues, shuffling the papers into one neat pile. “We just wanted to talk to you about some new developments and important information we’ve received from other townships across the state.” 

“First off,” Dr. Ellis begins after a brief moment in silence. “Joshua, we are impressed with how you were able to get both of you out of their safely last night during the mission.”

Joshua. That’s his name. Tyler turns his head a little to look at Runner 0. He’s humbly smiling and sitting up straight Tyler’s own back begins to feel sore. Tyler exhales maybe a little too loud and sits back in his seat, folding his arms across his chest which gets him dagger glare from Dr. Ellis before she begins talking again. “You showed quick thinking under a very stressful situation that we haven’t seen before. We’re glad that you’re apart of our team of runners and we think you and Runner 3 are going to be a great pair together.”

Tyler hangs his head. That isn’t what he wanted to hear. He chews on his lower lip and raises his head to look over at Runner 0 again, who’s staring at Tyler, smiling, like he won the battle. Tyler rolls his eyes and looks back to the doctors. 

“Is there something you’d like to say, Tyler?” Dr. Moore asks. 

Tyler hesitates, thinking carefully about what he wants to say. “I don’t want to have a partner. 0 was the whole reason we were in that situation--he threw the stupid rock at an imaginary noise. I told him that if there was anything there Mark would have told us, but he didn’t listen to me. I’ve been here  _ way  _ longer than he has, he should have listened to me and left it alone.” 

“Just because you’ve been here for a while doesn’t mean you’re above him. You’re equals to one another.” Dr. Ellis comments. She folds her hands together and places them on the table top, leaning in closer to Tyler and Joshua. “Also, him doing that may have  _ helped  _ us.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me?” Tyler means to think, but it escapes from his lips before he can hold it back. 

Dr. Ellis’ eyes narrow in Tyler’s direction again. “Runner 3,”

“Sorry,” Tyler apologizes. He turns to Runner 0 by his side and bows his head a little bit. “I’m sorry.” He repeats. 

“This brings up to our next topic,” Dr. Vega continues. Tyler doesn’t even mention the doctors totally ignored his request to being his own partner. “That explosion that went off yesterday was a pipe bomb we think Warren township put there as an attempt to sabotage our runners.” 

Tyler’s eyebrows furrow together and he sits up straighter, his interest now caught. “Why do you think that?”

“We had a runner go out today to search the area and they found a couple pieces of the bomb that are consistent with previous bombs created and used by Warren.” Dr. Moore explains. 

“Wait,” Joshua speaks for the first time since the meeting started. “What does Warren township have to do with this?”

“Warren township is the most populated township after Kent.” Dr. Moore explains. “They actively try to sabotage and kill of our runners so we won’t have a choice but to dismantle the township, in turn having our civilians go to them since they would then be the closest and most established township.

“Not like we don’t do the same to them.” Tyler subtly comments leaning in closer to Runner 0. He gets another glare from Dr. Ellis. 

“Anyway, we think they were trying to kill or at least injure our runners and we’re worried that they’re going to be planning an even bigger attack on the township sometime soon.” Dr. Vega states. 

“They successfully destroyed Newton Falls and West Branch townships, in that order over the last month.” Dr. Ellis adds. 

“So if they’re burning down townships in geographical order of closest to furthest away from them, we’re next?” Tyler asks. 

The three doctors nod in unison. “We’re not sure,” Dr. Vega interjects. “It is just a theory we have. But we want to be safe.” 

“But why are you telling us this?” Joshua questions, his voice wavering a little bit as the words come out. 

“Well, Tyler is our best runner at the moment, and you’re his partner. You two will be a target and we need you both to put aside any differences you might have and focus on your surroundings and getting missions done as fast as you can.” Dr. Moore replies. 

Tyler purses his lips and nods a little bit. He gets the severity of this possibility and, as much as he doesn’t want to, he knows he needs to do as the doctors say to keep the township safe from infiltration. 

“Maybe you two could spend the rest of the day getting to know one another.” Dr. Ellis smiles. “You’re both dismissed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the long filler chapter, but it was needed to give some background information about Jenna and Warren township since those are both going to be key in the upcoming chapters. 
> 
> I hope everyone is enjoying reading the fic as much as I am enjoying writing it!


	4. Bottles

Tyler and Runner 0, Joshua, Tyler had learned during their meeting with the doctors, walked through the halls of Kent hospital towards the main exit. Tyler had wanted to say something, but he wasn’t sure how to. He knew that he had to drop the bad attitude that he had been giving to Josh since they met just yesterday, but, did that mean they had to be friends? Couldn’t they just be able to work together without having arguments? Tyler wasn’t sure. All he knew was that Dr. Ellis had said that they should “get to know one another”.  

At the exit, Tyler looked over to Runner 0, who was standing a couple steps away with his hands shoved in his pockets uncomfortably. It looked like he had wanted to say something to Tyler, but the words won’t coming out. Tyler straightens his stance a little bit and fakes a small smile. “Are you, like… busy?” Tyler awkwardly asks, his slightly trembling hands finding their way to his pockets. 

“I was trying to ask you the same thing,” Runner 0 chuckles. “I was just going to go back to where I’m staying. Do you want to come?”

Tyler nods sheepishly and follows the other man in the opposite direction of the way Tyler would go to get to his house. The two walk through the crumbling streets of Kent until they reach a far corner of the township, a part Tyler is unfamiliar with. Joshua indicates that his house is the one alongside the fence separating Kent from the rest of the world. Tyler studies the small cottage as they get closer. 

He was surprised to see that it still had glass windows instead of big hunks of wood in place like most of the other houses. The white vinyl siding on the house still looked really good, in comparison to the other houses with peeled paint or chipping wood. The house was probably one of the nicer looking ones in the township.The stairs leading up to the front porch did not seem very safe, but he followed Runner 0 up them despite this. 

Inside, the air was much cooler and staler than it was outside, but Tyler didn’t mind. He followed Runner 0 to the small round table with two mismatched chairs in the kitchen. Tyler took a seat while Joshua went over to a small blue cooler that sat atop a single counter top. “Do you want anything?” Runner 0 offered. “I don’t have much, but I thought I'd ask anyway.”

“Uh, whatever you’re having.” Tyler answers, still studying the room where he sat. Runner 0 approached the table with two translucent amber bottles in one hand. “Beer?” Tyler asked, staring at the kinda-warm-kinda-cold bottle that had been placed in his hand. Since the outbreak, the production of commodities, such as beer and other processed foods and drinks, had ceased. So obtaining even one was uncommon, and Runner 0 had two, maybe even more. 

Joshua nodded as he broke the seal and tilted his head back, taking a swig. “I had a friend from before whose Dad owned a brewery. I saw him on my way over to Kent and he still had a bunch.” 

Tyler nodded, still staring into the glass bottle. He had never casually drank before. He was barely 16  when the apocalypse began, and he was raised in a religious family. So, he had only really drank sips of wine during church related events. Not wanting to look like a weirdo for staring at the bottle, he quickly twists the cap off the bottle and takes a sip without thinking anymore. Tyler gags a little bit as the liquid trickles down his throat and once the liquid was out of his mouth, Tyler let out a small cough and cringed as the taste lingered on his tongue. 

Joshua lets out a quiet laugh as he watches his partner’s reaction. “Have you not had beer before?”

Tyler lets out a breath and shakes his head slightly, placing the beer on the table. “I wasn’t old enough to drink before the apocalypse began and once it did, I had more important things to do.”

“Really? So how old are you then?” Joshua asks, taking another sip from his bottle. 

Tyler actually has to take a minute to think about his age. It’s something he hasn’t thought about in sometime. Birthdays and aging isn’t what it was during like before the outbreak. Days blur together and months and years are essentially the same thing. “I had just turned 16 when this started.” Tyler says, deciding that this was the best way to answer the question without sounding like a total idiot for not knowing how old he was. 

Josh nearly spits his drink out upon hearing this. “You’re only 19?” Josh states.

Tyler shrugs his shoulders a little bit, his hand wrapping around the bottle, but not raising it to his lips. “I guess so. I kinda lost track of things like that. It must be my birthday soon since it's getting colder, though.”

“I would have thought you were older than 19.” Josh comments, his eyes trailing up and down Tyler’s body. Tyler wants to hide. 

“How old are you? You don’t seem that much older than me.” Tyler finally takes another sip from the bottle. Not as awful this time. 

“I’m 22, but you seem a lot older than 19.” 

Tyler scoffs, a half smile on his lips. “The end of the world will do that to you.” 

Josh laughs half-heartedly at that, but the conversation lulls between them. Tyler was afraid of this. In his life before this one, he wasn’t good at making conversations. Once silenced ensued, that was pretty much the end of any hope of further talk for Tyler. After a couple moments, Tyler finally pipes up. “So, tell me about yourself… Joshua.” That hurt to say. Tyler still didn’t want to get to know him on a personal level, but he’d rather have Runner 0 talking than them sitting in a thick silence. 

“You can just call me Josh,” He smiles, putting the half empty bottle of beer on the table. “Well, I’m originally from Toledo where I grew up and was a student at the University of Toledo where I was studying to be a nurse. But I came to Kent from Elyria township.”

“I heard that it got ransacked and torched a couple weeks ago.” Tyler interjects. “Is that why you came here?” 

Josh nods his head. “Yeah. It wasn’t doing so well anyway. It was probably going to crumble in a few months without the outside help.” Josh pauses and smiles to himself before continuing. “I had been there for a year and a half with my younger sister after we lost our parents and our siblings on our way to Elyria.” 

Tyler bites his lip, knowing that, since his sister wasn’t with him, something must have happened to her while Elyria was burning down. “I’m sorry,” Tyler says solemnly. 

“It’s alright, it’s been a while since I lost them all.”

“All of them?” Tyler asks. 

“Yeah, like three months before Elyria got destroyed, my sister and I were out looking for food when we got ambushed by a hoard. They had ganged up on Ashley and I was trying to get them off of her. I was aiming my gun at one of the zombies when it moved at the last second and my bullet hit her instead.” 

The air in the room grew thicker and staler than it was when Tyler first walked in. He killed his own sister. Even if it was by accident, Tyler knew that must be destroying him. “You told me during the mission yesterday that you don’t kill things. Is that why?”

Josh nods slightly and stares into the opening of his, now empty, beer bottle. The silence envelopes the room, making Tyler shift in his chair uncomfortably. He wants to do something to make it better, but no one knows better than Tyler that there is nothing anyone could do to make losing someone better. Maybe Josh knows better. 

“Yeah, well,” Josh says, his nervous forced laugh breaking the silence. “You can’t expect much more than losing someone at one point or another in this world. At least she died at my own hand rather than some creature eating her face off, right?”

Tyler smirks and shrugs his shoulders. And, honestly, Tyler doesn’t know which is worse. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more of a filler chapter than the last one and I'm sorry. This is all building up to some real fucked up shit. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
